" The workday is abbreviated by law to only five hours, permitting a late afternoon nap.

This isn’t enough for everyone, though. It’s too common to find workers sloughing off their duties, either coming in later than they should or leaving earlier. Some simply doze through the day, putting in only notional appearance on the job.

Not only is this against the spirit of Ramadan, but it’s also expensive to employers and the national economy"

CIA’s favorite Saudi prince is laying the groundwork for a post-Assad Syria

"The Saudi policy on Syria is being closely coordinated with the U.S. administration, both of which (like Israel) want to separate Iran from its most important Arab base and undermine the flow of weapons to Hezbollah.

These goals have not escaped Iranian eyes, which is why Tehran is strengthening its positions in Iraq and in the Kurdish zone of northern Iraq. Moreover, according to reports from the Syrian opposition, Iran is also making clandestine contacts in Europe with rebel representatives.

There is no way to know what Syria will look like after Assad, and in which of the rebelling factions it pays to invest. Saudi Arabia, as is its wont, is investing in all of them. It is hoped that the United States will get the payoff."

"However, at the same time that Ramadan is taking place, so are other changes both from within and outside of Saudi Arabia.

All military and defense personnel have been recalled from leave or training and called back to their duty stations. Even expatriate workers in the medical sector have had their leaves cancelled and required to remain in the Kingdom.